The number of inspiring stories coming out of this year's Olympics [1] keeps growing and growing. To help feed the hungry in Rio de Janeiro, two chefs have started a project called RefettoRio Gastromotiva that creates meals using the ingredients left over from the Olympic Village [2], where thousands of athletes are staying. The aim is to fight food waste, malnutrition, and social exclusion, according to its website [3].

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Michelin-starred Italian chef Massimo Bottura and Brazilian chef David Hertz spearheaded the initiative, but chefs from all over the world are participating to serve up to 5,000 meals a day [5]; they hope to continue to serve Rio's poor even after the Olympics are over and have received support from the city, which provided a building for RefettoRio Gastromotiva to use for the next 10 years, reports ABC News.

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The space has become a cultural hub of sorts, combining food, artwork, and new talent. "Refettorio Gastromotiva will bring nourishment, culture, and dignity for all, in a place full of art," reads its website. It will also serve as a school for young cooks.

Bottura isn't new to this type of work. He founded Refettorio Ambrosiano in Milan during the World Expo in 2015 [7], when he turned an old theater into a place where refugees and the poor could eat meals cooked by chefs using leftovers from the expo's events.

Brazil has been hit with an economic crisis [8] and has millions of its citizens living in poverty, which makes RefettoRio Gastromotiva an even more significant example of hope.

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